Time and Again
by syaoran no hime
Summary: RenPirika. An incident before that Pirika tries to run away from resurfaces.


This story was specifically written with someone in mind…Miko-chan's sister. I hope you do enjoy this short oneshot! ^__^

Ever since my brother joined the shaman tournament, I had also acquainted myself to his friends – ever-grinning Yoh Asakura and his cool fiancée, Anna Kyouyama, cheerful Ryu of the Wooden Sword, easily flustered Manta, funny Chocolove, weird but nice Dr. Faust, and soft-spoken Tamao Tamamura.

Oh, and of course, the ever-arrogant leader of the team he belongs to.

Ren Tao, the snobbiest, bossiest, most egocentric person I've ever met. I couldn't believe at first that my brother didn't become the leader of the 3-on-3 shaman groups, but when I personally saw how the Chinese egomaniac shaman acted, I finally understood why that happened.

There was one opportunity when I overheard him say that Onii-chan is too weak. I immediately bulldozed my way to the room, uncaring whether Chocolove was watching me, stunned.

"Ren Tao!!!" I called before aiming my fist squarely on his jaw. He was taken by surprise, so he wasn't able to avoid my smasher. He immediately landed on the floor, his hand on his swollen cheek.

_"Wow," was all Choco could say._

_"The Ainu tribe is proud of its relentless fighters who fought till the end!" I said, rubbing my fist. "How dare you call onii-chan weak!"_

_He smirked. "So that's why you were driven to the mountains."_

_The rope of my patience snapped. I aimed another punch at his face, but this time, he was able to block it with his palm. He smirked some more. "How unlady-like. Are you sure you will still be able to marry if you act so roughly?"_

_"My problem, not yours!" I stepped back a little, then aimed my knee on his…yeah, on his you-know-what. His face suddenly soured, then to my delight, his face turned into several amusing shades of red. I laughed loudly. "I won't marry, but you'll never get to masturbate anymore."_

_"Damn you!" His eyes were blazing, and it occurred to me that unlike my onii-chan, Ren Tao has the tendency to commit homicide. Acting quickly, I reached for his spear and threw it out of the window, just to be sure he wouldn't get any ideas._

_His hair vibrated. "Chocolove," he said, his voice low and dangerous._

_"R-Ren?"_

_"Get my spear."_

_"B-But it's already dark outside-"_

_"GET my spear," he repeated._

_Choco knew the finality of his voice. "Right, right." He helplessly shrugged my way and left the room._

_"C-Choco, wait, I'm coming with you already!" I was about to follow the shaman outside when an arm grabbed me back. I turned to Ren, whose eyes give me the feeling that he got rid of Chocolove to do something._

_I gasped when in one quick move, he had roughly shoved me against the door, his hand locking the door._

_Ren sneered at me. "You will now get what you are asking for, little girl."_

_"D-Don't you dare…I-I'll kick you again, and this time, you may not only lose your male privileges to mastur-" I gulped when I saw his eyes blaze some more. "…you might never be able to get someone pregnant again," I said warningly in conclusion._

_"Oh?" His eyes taunted mine. "I am astounded at your concepts…and you're not even thirteen yet."_

_"Is it my fault that aside from being beautiful, I am also smart and talented?"_

_"Such spirit!" His hand suddenly found its way on my cheek. "If your brother can't teach you how to be a lady, well, things are different with me. I won't hesitate to use any means of teaching you that."_

_"Let me go!" I tried to wiggle out of his hold, but his shaman trainings weren't for nothing. "Onii-chan is coming any minute, and you'll pay hell, Ren Tao."_

_"This is all worth it." His face suddenly lowered into mine._

_My eyes flapped open when I felt that something was on my lips again. It was gentle, yet persistent, and uncertain at the same time. Most of all, it felt wonderful._

_"Holy cow!"_

_We both jumped apart. Chocolove was sitting on the windowpane, his eyes shocked. Not hard to deduce that he had seen everything he needed to see._

I felt shame flood within me. I suddenly pushed Ren away and slammed my foot on his "junior". "Rape!" I screamed. I glanced at him and saw that he was rolling madly on the floor, his hands covering his maleness.

_"Pirika, you smashed his only joy!" cried Choco, aghast._

_"Hmp! Suits him!" I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "You overbearing pig, may that be a lesson to you!" I stormed out of the room, but not quick enough to not overhear Ren's vow._

_"I'll make you pay for this!"_

Even five years after the shaman fight ended, I still couldn't forgive him for that. So when onii-chan and I received an invitation from Jun Tao, his elder sister, I immediately disagreed to come.

"But Pirika, Jun is expecting us!" Onii-chan tried to say rationally.

"Then come all by yourself! I won't come!" I crossed my arms stubbornly.

He sighed. "You're already sixteen, but you act ten years younger. It's impolite to turn down such request."

"Especially if your glutton tummy is concerned," I snapped. 

"Free food, Pirika! We must not turn down blessings!"

"Hmp." I turned my back on him. "My decision is final – I'm _not_ coming."

"Ooh, alright." He rubbed his head, perhaps wondering why was I so adamant on refusing to go to the Tao house.

For the past few years, I refused to come with him whenever he goes to see his friends. I was afraid of seeing Ren there, and when we do meet, I do not know what I would say, or how I would act. After all, what happened between us was beyond normal. And there's the matter of his…yeah. 

I wonder…did he need to undergo an operation to cure his pet? What if he would never be able to do _it_ because of what I did?

That night, my brother tried to persuade me one last time.

"Pirika, read the invite. It states your name here, so she must be waiting for you."

"Just tell Jun-chan that I have a terrible headache." I kissed onii-chan's cheek farewell then pushed him out of the shade of the forest – our current home.

I was just about to sleep when Kororo perked up. I rubbed my eyes sleepily. "Onii-chan?" I wondered why he was so back soon. Normally, it would take him hours before he gets satiated with his dinner.

I blinked when I saw a tall, young man with dark purple hair standing against the bark of a tree nearby, his arms crossed.

I wouldn't have recognized who he was, if not for the long pointed tip of his hair. I felt my heart race.

"My sister…she sent me here to pick you up," he said, refusing to look at me. 

"W-Well…I-I told onii-chan…"

"Shut up and get dressed."

I arched a brow, forgetting my initial awkwardness. "Great. We don't see each other for five years and now you go boss me around?"

"Five years, four months and three weeks, to be exact," he corrected. "I had been counting."

"Eh?"

His eyes suddenly turned to me. "Get dressed. My sister is waiting for you."

"No. I'm going to sleep."

He suddenly strode towards me purposefully. "No, you won't. You're going with me."

"Wha-" I gasped when he suddenly touched my arm. The surge of warmth was all too familiar, as if it just happened yesterday. Those five years, four months, and three weeks suddenly became insignificant.

He paused too, his eyes turmoil of emotions. "Let's go, Pirika," he said. "Or I'll carry you there."

I stepped back. _Whoa, how did he grow so tall? So this is the wonder of puberty and growth spurt!_

The last time I saw him, I was an inch taller than him. How did he suddenly become so tall?

He suddenly let go of me, as if he burned his fingers or something. "It seemed just like yesterday," he muttered.

My eyes shook. So we were both thinking of the same thing! I looked shyly at his *ahem*. "Er…how is it?"

"What _it_?" His eyes followed my gaze, then they widened. He clenched his fists. "You didn't change at all. Your mouth…damn, it's still as tactless as before."

I laughed quietly. "Sorry."

"I wonder…does it taste like before?" he asked, turning my way again, catching me off-guard.

"Oh…um…well…" I tried to laugh to ease the tension. "Well, now I don't know…we had eaten fish…and um…but I brushed my teeth…yeah and…"

His eyes softened. "Pirika, that thought never left my mind…I couldn't stop thinking…whether I will still know the answer to that."

I looked away. "Er…yeah, I better get dressed. You are starting to revert to your old lunatic ways…"

He chuckled. "Your brother has told me that you have grown up to become a young, lively woman, but still not a lady."

"Onii-chan?"

"Those times that he comes to visit us, I've been waiting for you too. He said you won't come…" He crossed his arms again. "So I just contented myself with the pictures he took of you and his stories…"

"W-Why?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I miss you."

The three words shocked me, and that was an understatement.

"Excuse me?" I whispered.

He turned his back on me. "It's kind of hard to forget the girl who nearly deprived me of my chance to…" He laughed quietly.

My cheeks turned red. "It's doing fine now, isn't it?"

"Recovering. Want to see it?" he asked teasingly.

My eyes widened. "No!" I suddenly frowned when I noticed that Ren Tao – _the_ Ren Tao – looked different. I sniffed delicately then frowned. "I smell alcohol."

He blushed furiously. "Er…Horo Horo told me that it would help shake off my cold feet."

"Y-You're nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure how you would react when you see me?" He suddenly stepped closer to me. "And when I do this."

Before I could say another word, his mouth was on mine once again. The same warmth…the same excitement…the same floaty feeling…

Déjà vu? Or just the thought that now and then, it was only him whom I secretly wanted?

"All those years of waiting for you to grow up…" he whispered. "It was worth it."

"R-Ren…"

He clasped my hand. "Your brother is waiting for us outside the forest. If I don't come out with you, he might think that we're doing hanky-panky stuff here. Let's go."

"Ren…you just came here to…kiss me?"

He smiled. "No. But that's a start."

I smiled back at him. Although words won't come, I could already feel that I liked his reason. He did as he vowed…he would make me pay for it.

I'm glad he did.

**The end**


End file.
